The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1887-08-06
FOR JUDGE OF SUPREME COURT,
THE SUPREME COURT JupaEsHlr

21st, given strong reasons why Hon w. NJ.
Rapsher, Of Mauch Chunk, should be the
nominee of the Democratic State Conyen-
tion for Judge Of the Supreme Court. We
will give few more of geographical and
commercial nature. We are indebted to the
Hazleton Sentinel for the suggestions.
They are certainly strong and potential and
more than all they are equitable. Fair
play is everywhere admired, unless II be in
politics, that an exception to the rule is
made.
The population OF the State, census Of
1850. was 4,2Si ,007. The nidtle line Of
population by counties runs east of Brad
ford and along the west side of Susque-
hanna, Wyoming, Luzerne. Montour, Col
nmbia, Schuylkill, Lebanon and Lancaster.
The population east of that line is 2,l40,-
l12. The eastern part of the State has the
right to demand that the party of the whole
State shall give this Office, not only to the
eastern portion, hut to the Anthracite re-
gion. Business interests and population
demand II.
The counties Of Wayne, Pike, Monroe,
Carbon, Susquehanna, Lackawanna, Lu-
zerne, Wyoming. Sullivan, Schuylkill,
Columbia, Montonr and Lehigh are fairly
entitled to furnish the Judge. They en-
brace the anthracite industry, which is the
largest native industry in the State. The
six Judges now on the Supreme Court
Bench are, Gordon, from Jefferson; Pax
son, from Philadelphia; Green, from
Northampton; Turnkey, from Venango;
Sterrett, from Allegheny. and Clark, from
Indiana. In other words the western hall
Of the population is represented by four ont
of the six Judges. and the eastern half by
two only.
1t Is understood perfectly that the Judges
are wholly State officers, but to the credit
Of the politics of the State they have always
been sought from the different parts of tho
State. In fact this is the only way by
which the Bench can be kept from localiz-
alton in feeling and impulse.
A very much larger proportion of the
litigation which reaches the Supreme Court
comes from the region which furnishes on
ly two of the Judges or the Supreme Bench.
Judge Paxson once said that second only to
Philadelphia the Anthracite region furn-
ished the greater number Of legal ques-
tions, and those of the greatest interest.
For twenty years this region has had nc
representative on the Supreme Bench.
Is it necessary for MS to ask the political
convention which controls this matter to
do justice when the above state of things
exists? The State at large and every Sec
tion of the State are interested IN this
The startling inequality of representation
upon the Supreme Bench appeals TO all po
litical parties to restore the equilibrium oi
representation. The region of the State
including northeastern Pennsylvania and
the Anthracite region are bound together
by a community of interest and they can
not safely be ignored, Every large bust
ness interest in the State. com
mercial, agricultural, iron, biLumnous coal
oil. manufacturing, have men upon thC
Supreme Bench, who besides their othe
tinctively representative of some one o.
more of these immense interests with whicl
they are familiar. The Anthracite is no
so situated. 1t is an industry which, great
er than any other, enters into all other
more or less, and lut of which arise ques
tions of legal, social and an economic ma
tare. which can be presented by few othe
localities in the State. The region is Sc
cond to none in the State of equal territor.
and population in the amount of taxes /
furnishes for the support of the State.
Can the Allentown Convention afford t,
ignore the Old Tenth Democratic Legion
and also ignore the great Anthracite Goa
interests of Pennsylvania? What is you
candid opinion? But, besides all this, w
should think it would be of paramount i'm
portance to nominate Mr.. Rapsher becaus
he could in all probability be elected